Life is such a wonderful thing, isn't it? Life can be either a benevolent saint that which protects and heals all of the pain or a malevolent sadist that would batter us with never-ending scars, sucking our tears like a leach as we are pulled into the darkness; the one that lives in the heart and mind of everyone we know and love, including you.
Some know the darkness more than others; those lucky enough have only received invisible cuts, barely realising those temporary wounds; vanishing in the passing instant. However, not everyone can have that. Not everyone can have the "and they lived happily ever after" story desired by many. No, some have felt the stab of darkness so many times that its sting has become a numb memory, and the light that protects them from the darkness is evanescent concept.
One who would know that level of pain is none other than Nicholas Piberius Wilde (or just Nick Wilde).
Could ya blame him? When he was young, about eight or nine, all he wanted to do was become a Junior Ranger Scout and make the world a better place. So his mother scraped together enough money to buy him a uniform for when he was going to be initiated into Pack 914.
It was the happiest moment of the little kit's life, he was going to fulfil his biggest dream, even though he was going to be the only predator animal in the pack.
As he entered the building, he was greeted by the Junior Ranger Scouts: a woodchuck, a hippo, a zebra, a deer and a wildebeest.
'I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, helpful and trustworthy.'
But in the next instant it became one of his biggest scars.
'Even though your a fox?'
Before the young kit could even fully understand what the woodchuck meant, he was pushed onto the ground and held down by the other Scouts. And muzzled.
'If you thought we would ever trust a fox without a muzzle, you're even dumber than you look.'
Nick ran out of the building, all while the Junior Ranger Scouts laughed and mocked him, crying like his world had just been destroyed and shattered before his own eyes. Because it did.
The young kit pulled the muzzle off and threw it at the street, incomparable feelings of anger, hate and general sadness flooded through every part of his being. He learned that Zootopia wasn't where predator and prey could live together in perfect harmony (Because that place doesn't exist). He grew a hateful grudge to all animals that where either prey or bigoted.
He learned two very important things that day. One: If the world was going to see foxes as nothing more but sly, untrustworthy scoundrels then there was no meaning in trying to change that and accept what he was born as. And two: 'Never let 'em see that they get to you'.
At the age of twelve he was already hustling people out of their money. By the age of fifteen or sixteen, his mother found out about these hustles. He remembered the look of pure heartbreak on her face, that her innocent little kit had became this: a con artist: the very thing that every fox was seen as by prejudice. The very thing that got Nick's father, a fair and honest shop tailor, shot and killed.
Nick couldn't handle the look that his mother had worn: Betrayal. So he ran away. Even when he heard the voice of his mother, sounding as shattered as she was, calling out to him, calling him to stop and come back, he continued to run.
He finally stopped when he was underneath a bridge, and cried. He cried and cried until he could cry no longer.
He continued hustling, always with that same smirk on his face to hide his true pain.
Along his way and life as a con artist, Nick managed to get on the good side of Mr. Big, the most infamous and feared crime boss in Zootopia. Nick was on Mr. Big's good side until he sold the artic shrew an expensive rug made from the butt of a skunk.
Mr. Big was so mad that he threatened Nick; that if he where to show his face to Big ever again he would be killed.
Not wanting to get murdered by the crime boss (or to be more accurate: his polar bear henchmen) Nick ran as far as he could.
Luckily Nick had a back up plan: Finnick.
Finnick is a fennec fox so, like Nick, he was a con artist. But, unlike Nick, Finnick didn't mind being a con artist (or at least not as much).
Since Finnick was unbelievably small, something that Nick would constantly tease about to torture the poor fennec, their regular routine was that Finnick was Nick's son, little toot-toot, and they would trick any regular air-headed mammal into "helping" them with a "problem" (although since some of said problems were by prejudice it being a problem could be considered true) and then use that "help" to scam even more mammals. But it was their fault, they made him untrustworthy so they should have known better.
So the two foxes would live up to the immutable status quo that was "bestowed" onto them since birth. But the truth was that Nick secretly wanted to be something different, something that would help others, not manipulate them, something that help society, not make it seem worse, something that would stop the stereotype on all foxes, not prove it right. But he couldn't; he's just a sly fox. That's all that he will ever be.
Or so he thought.
Flash forward by a few years until you reach sometime when he was thirty-two. Recent news sprung around Zootopia that Mayor Lionheart had decided to make a bunny, of all animals, a police officer. this had some controversy: some thought that Lionheart was being good at his job and proved that at Zootopia anyone can become anything. Some thought that the mayor was doing a stupid decision that would put an innocent rabbit into her early grave. The second thought would often be mixed with a third thought: that all that Lionheart cared about was his own image, that the new officer was just a token bunny to make him look good.
Nick believed in mixture of thought two and three. "That dumb bunny wouldn't survive even one week in Zootopia"
Although... at the same time... he felt... proud. He felt a feeling of admiration. He felt that if a bunny could become a cop then... does a fox really have a chance?
He quickly shook that thought off, believing that he probably was just in need of sleep. "All that dumb bunnies are good for is growing crops and mating... right?"
Little did he know about what the little bunny was capable of: she solved a case about missing mammals (with his help), exposed Bellwether for who she really was, fixed Zootopia at least just a bit, made him, him a fox of all animals, become a police cop and got him to reunite with his mother! He remembered the look on her face: proud and full of love.
This bunny, who went by the name of Judy Hopps, fixed him. She fixed him.
But Nick would admit: when he would look back into the past he wouldn't feel like the proudest fox or cop. One that he felt as being an amalgam of happiness and regret was the very day he met Judy. On one side: he met her and she would eventually become the best thing in his life. That was what he felt happy about.
And then there is how they met: He emotionally manipulated her into thinking Finnick was his son and made her pay up her money so he could make his own profit. And when she found out? He didn't care, in fact he insulted her ('dumb bunny') and told her that her dreams are pathetic and she just go back to where she came.
Nick would sometimes growl at that memory without fully realising it; a subconscious action if you will.
He had grown to see Judy as his closest friend; the only one in the world that he could trust. He cared for the bunny, he cared for her a lot.
Because he knew that, despite how hard she tries to hide it and how hard everyone believed it, she had her weaknesses. Much like how he needed her, she need him also. To see past her prejudice, to prove herself, to survive her own reckless behaviour. She would act without thinking and sometimes forget about the proper needed equipment. If it wasn't for him, she'd be lying in a coffin as we speak.
But, most of all, he knows that like every animal, from the newest born chick to the mightiest elephant, she has limits to her abilities. Even if she can knock a rhino down, she isn't unbreakable. She would have her moments of vulnerability (her first speech about 'savage' animals being enough evidence) and he would be there as her partner, her friend, to bring her back up.
He didn't know why but, for some reason, her imperfections was another thing about her that he liked, that he loved. Maybe it was because it proved that, while she definitely wasn't a token bunny, she wasn't invincible. She's only a normal- yet unique- mammal, after all.
So after Nick became a police officer he swore an oath to protect the city of Zootopia. But he also swore a second oath. Not to Judy, nor the city, but himself; to protect his rabbit at all costs, even with his final breath. No matter how strong the enemy was, no matter how impossible the odds were, even if he was going beyond all of his limits, he would still at least try. Try until his body breaks like sand, that was his oath. And if she died under his protection, then he really is nothing more than an untrustworthy fox, and he would gladly walk into Hell to be punished for his irredeemable failure.
He will not let anything hurt the light that protects him from the darkness.
But if Fate can bring something good into his life; Fate can bring it out.
Nick and Judy entered the main hall of the ZPD. While the fox was drinking coffee to make his body become fully awake, the bunny ran to the receptionist, Clawhauser, in her usual energetic and optimistic behaviour. After putting his empty coffee cup in the bin, Nick caught up with the crazy two, his trademark smirk in place, doing its usual job of hiding his true emotions. Don't let it show. The bunny and the cheetah were talking about Gazelle's latest single, but Nick didn't really listen, he was distracted by Judy.
Or, to be accurate, her body. It looked fragile and delicate, yet strong and empowering. Her fur, while silver, was richer than gold. And her eyes, they were purple jewels that could show both kindness and seriousness. How had he not noticed all of this before? She was incredible in not only the personality department, but the physical department also.
Nick's heart raced like a cheetah on a sugar rush (unless if that cheetah was Clawhauser) and his cheeks and ears burned like fire! But instead of discomfort, he felt an odd yet enjoyable sensation. He knew he felt like this towards her for a long while, but everyday she somehow made it harder to keep them secret. He had to tell her, but he needed the right opportunity. He wanted to tell her so badly. He needed her so badly!
"C'mon Nick" Judy said as she grabbed Nick's paw, throwing him back to reality. Nick had a face of confusion before slipping back into his face as Judy dragged him to the bullpen, she may be small but she is strong. Judy suddenly stopped, in front of her and Nick was Amy Pouncar.
Amy Pouncar was a lioness, with a well built body that could compare to an athlete. But what was considered as her most noticeable feature was a black spot that surrounded her left eye, she was apparently born with it, but the reason why was inexplicable. Even though she was new, arriving only three or four weeks ago, but you probably wouldn't tell otherwise because she was serious, straightforward and explicit, having a very no nonsense presence at all times, even when off duty.
"Hey Amy!" Judy said in a very cheerful tone. Amy was very aloof, not being even the slightest bit concerned in befriending those around her and having no patience for anyone who she saw as silly nor an interest in anything that her co-workers saw as "fun". Even Bogo would have his moments where he would crack a joke or show a softer side to the grumpy buffalo that he was seen as. No one, not even Clawhauser, could get on friendly terms with the lioness. No one but...
"Hello Judy" Amy replied happily, a genuine smile on her face. No one but Judy could get on friendly terms with her. It was kinda weird really, when Amy graduated to the ZPD, some of the other officers tried to become her friend. Sadly, she seemed uninterested in befriending anyone. Yet when she met up with Judy the two became friends instantly, like they already knew each other for a long while. What's even more is that, despite being one year older, the lioness seemed to respect the little bunny. It was assumed that it was because Judy inspired Amy to quit her job as a waitress at Taste of Instinct- a popular bar among predators. Or maybe it was because Judy (along Nick) proved to be one of the ZPD's best cops.
"You seem to be in a good mood today, Serious-spot" Nick said with his smirk put back in its place, resting his elbow on Judy's head- much to the bunny's annoyance. "So I won't be needin' to worry about you killing me 'cause of my jokes, right?". Big mistake! Amy stared at him with those amber eyes that penetrated the nightmares of many criminals that found themselves arrested by the no nonsense lioness. Lions are know to be scary when you get them mad, like really angry, and Amy, with those eyes that could mimic those of a savage, was a good example.
"My name is Amy Pouncar" Amy said, looking like she was ready to shred Nick apart like paper "and I expect my co-workers to refer to me by my name" her glare loosening a bit "Nicholas." she then then turned her head towards Nick's partner "Judy." she said with a smile before turning around and walking towards the bullpen "see you in the bullpen. Don't take too long, we have six minutes before work actually starts".
Nick waited until Amy was completely out of earshot "Geez, does she eat a nighthowler when she wakes up in the morning? She makes Bogo look like the prince of the fairy people." Nick then started laughing. But Judy was silent. Nick noticed this "Something wrong, Carrots?".
She turned her face towards him, she looked sad. Before Nick could say a word, Judy spoke "It's not really her fault" the bunny's eyes looked down and to the side "she can't exactly control her aloofness. She has a kind heart on the inside, you know that" -after the incident with the hippo calf, everyone in ZPD knew that Amy wasn't as stonehearted as believed- "she just has troubles with building relationships, even when she was a cub. Especially because of..." Judy realised that she was telling too much. Or, at least, what she thought was too much. "N-never mind." Judy said, trying to pretend that she never said anything "We'll talk about it later."
"Carrots-" Nick said with concern, but Judy stopped him. "We'll talk about it later!" she did a big sigh before looking at the floor "We have... a lot to talk about tonight. There are things that we need to get off our chests. At our house."
Oh yeah, Nick and Judy have a home together, as roommates. "But I want to be more than just a roommate". They decided to split the rent and live together, if they're friends and partners then they can be roommates. It was Nick and Judy. And Finnick. Since Nick became a cop, foxes started to stop being scoundrels and become regular mammals of society. Not by a huge leap, but it was better than nothing. The fennec now worked in delivery, honest delivery, and since the two cops gave him such a nice offer, he took it. They were his closest friends after all, at least he felt as though they were his closest friends. Although his relationship with his roommates definitely wasn't romantic, he already had a lady friend.
But Nick didn't care if Finnick- or even all of Zootopia- knew, she needed to know. Even if she felt differently, even if she wanted to stay friends, he would still love her, forever and ever. Heh, would you believe it? She really changed his view of the world, a lot. Now he's in love with a bunny, but you already knew that, didn't you? If you'd tell him that before he met Judy he would think that you escaped from the Zootopia insane asylum.
"If you keep on staring into space like that, I'll need to get a new partner." Judy joked, throwing Nick back to reality (again) "The officers of the ZPD aren't expected to just daydream like that, there are animals- both predator and prey- to protect in this city, you know." she said half jokingly and half seriously. Not wanting to be sucked back into his thought bubble, Nick followed Judy into the bullpen.
Since Bogo wasn't in it yet, the bullpen was chaos. Ya know: usual. When Nick got halfway to his (and Judy's) seat an arm went around his neck, putting him in a firm grip. Nick knew what was going to happen. He got a strong noogie on the head by officer Wolford. "Did you think you could just walk in here and escape a noogie, Foxy?" the timber wolf asked jokingly.
Nick chuckled as he removed himself from Wolford's grip and noogie. "No." he said, his smirk was there as ever, although it was more honest this time. "I just assumed that your knuckle would be left sore after a few weeks of trying to break my thick skull, Wolfy." The fox and wolf looked at each other silently before bursting into laughter.
Wolford was at first just a co-worker, nothing more. But since Nick and Judy (especially the latter) wanted to become friends with their fellow officers, Wolford found himself being a best friend of the duo and loved them both (non-romantically) greatly. He proved to be a loyal friend, the type to stand by you at all times, even if hell descended upon the planet, and wouldn't let anyone who messed with their friends get off scot-free. He definitely was a 'one in a million' type of friend.
Nick wasn't dramatically surprised; bringing out the best of, and befriending, others was like a forte for Judy Hopps.
Nick joined up with his partner on their seat that was larger then both of them put together; alongside them being partners, that was why they shared it. "Tonight." the fox thought to himself "I'll tell her tonight."
"Atten-hut!"
The bullpen went silent suddenly, like Nick and Judy had been teleported to a parallel universe. The bullpen would always go silent when officer Higgins said 'Atten-hut!', because that was him announcing chief Bogo's arrival. The cape buffalo was highly respected by most of his officers, he was the chief for a reason.
"It's good to see that you are all here." the chief said as he put his glasses on, files in hand "There are a few things to announce, but I don't care so I won't waste anytime other these needless announcements."
"As cheerful as always I see" Nick said with a smirk, earning him a laugh from some of his fellow officers. Nick looked to his side to his bunny giving him a smirk of her own. "My bunny" he thought.
"Quiet! All of you!" Bogo shouted, quieting his officers. Bogo was aggressive sometimes, usually when he has a bad day. And the chief was aggressive like this, everyone was scared of him, even Nick. The cape buffalo cleared his throat and quietly apologised. "Oh, and Fangmeyer." the buffalo looked at the tiger, who was sweating in fear "Tell your sister that she has my congratulations on her new cub."
Fangmeyer wiped his forehead with a 'phew'. Some of his co-workers were gonna give him a 'whoop' or ask if the cub was a boy or girl, but Bogo still looked rather angry so everyone remain quiet.
"Now, without anymore interruptions I think we can finally get work started" the cape buffalo said to his officers. The bunny and fox duo watched as their other officers were given files to different tasks, from patrols to stake outs. "Pouncar" the buffalo called out.
"Yes chief Bogo?" the lioness said as she got up from her seat.
"There has been reports of the lunatic who escaped from the Zootopia Mental Asylum, this file contains his theorised place of hiding." Bogo said as he handed the file to Amy "Find that pyromaniac and return him to where he belongs."
"Yes sir!" Amy said with a salute before running out of the bullpen.
Bogo then faced Judy and Nick "Hopps, Wilde" he said calmly "there have also been multiple reports of suspicious activity at an abandoned warehouse on the south-west of Zootopia, investigate it and confirm if action is needed. Remember: get the full information first, I don't want this to be like the July eighteenth incident."
Nick shuddered "So much paperwork". Judy chuckled at her partner, even if she didn't know if he was serious or not, the amount of paperwork was really overbearing- not to offend any bears or anything. Judy took the file "You can count on us chief!" she said with a salute before taking her partner by the hand to their case.
Chief Bogo left the bullpen and went to his office. As soon as he entered his office, Bogo slumped onto his chair, groaning loudly. "Christ!" he yelled before rubbing his eyes with his hooves "What a day.". He didn't mean to be this grumpy, he just felt like that since he has awoken. "Maybe a coffee will help." Bogo thought to himself. He was about to get off his chair but he stopped. Bogo looked around his office carefully; no one was there. The cape buffalo listened carefully; no one was near. Bogo grinned, bringing out his phone from his pocket . "My coffee can wait." he thought as he started to play Gazelle on his phone. Being both a serious police chief and a fan of pop singers can be embarrassing. Thank god that Clawhauser agreed to keep the secret between the two.
'Don't worry chief, I will keep the secret. You are my good friend after all.'
Those words spoken by the chubby cheetah still lingered in the buffalo's head. Whatever; everyone else was busy so the buffalo took the chance to be more of his true self. But even when enjoying Gazelle's music, Bogo couldn't shake off this uninviting feeling that grew from his gut. "They'll be fine." the cape buffalo thought "They're small, but they're stronger than most big mammals. I doubt anything serious will happen."
He couldn't be any more wrong if he tried.
"Come on you lazy fox." Judy said to Nick from inside the police cruiser, tapping her finger in impatience. The fox got into the cruiser and onto the seat next to Judy. A smirk grew on bunny's face "At this point even a sloth can outrun you." she joked. She pushed down on the pedal to get to their destination, all while chuckling to herself.
Nick grinned "Sly, beautiful bunny." he thought, his grin suddenly becoming the signature smirk "But if you think that I'm gonna let you get the last laugh, your also a little dumb."
"I can't believe you would compare me like that." he faked the feeling of being offend "I thought you were my best friend."
"You know I'm joking Nick." Judy said, her eyes focused on the road.
But Nick wasn't done yet. Putting on a Oscar worthy expression of heartbreak, betrayal and hatred, all of which were feigned, "What's next? You're gonna joke about putting a muzzle on me?". A feeling of real guilt was creeping onto Judy's face, causing Nick to smirk even more on the inside. He hated seeing her upset, but when she realises it was just a joke, she'll laugh with him.
Judy stopped the cruiser at a red traffic light. The bunny turned towards her partner, she was taking the bait perfectly "I-I would never do anything like that, Nick. You know I wouldn't.". Tears were starting to seep from the corners of her eyes. "Y-you know I would never try to hurt you. We're partners, we've known each other better than anyone else. I would never even think of doing something so cruel and vile." It took Nick his all to keep this façade, that bunny of his could break through all of his walls without trying. Judy looked at her best friend who held a look of (feigned) pure betrayal. "N-no this c-can't be." Judy thought, a pain in her heart began as she feared that this would be the end of her relationship with Nick "I don't want to lose this friendship that I've had with him." tears were pouring out from Judy's eyes, this can't be true. "I'm sorry Nick!" she shouted, she had her whole body facing him, her hands gripping onto the chest area of his uniform "I didn't mean to hurt you! I-I didn't know that you would take it to heart! I-I'm sorry if I'm a horrible bunny! I-"
'I'm a horrible bunny!'
Judy's eyes widened as she looked at Nick; a smug smile on his face as he held a pawpsicle pen- it was like Judy's carrot pen, but a pawpsicle instead- in his paw, waving it almost mockingly. He pressed on the 'play' button again.
'I'm a horrible bunny!'
Nick's smile widened, showing off some of his sharp teeth like a predator who cornered his prey- which I guess you could call this. "You fell for it fluff, hook, line, and sinker." the smug fox said, his eyes closed as he continued to wave the device like it was a plastic toy. He felt Judy's grip on his chest disappear, making the fox believe that he won this. But because his eyes were closed, he didn't see the sign of hurt on Judy's face. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." as he said the last word, Nick opened his eyes to see Judy on her knees, sniffling, an expression: eyes closed and full of an anger/sadness mixture; definitely not a façade. "...Sweetheart?"
Judy then yelled as she started hitting Nick with tiny fists, "Don't 'sweetheart' me, you dumb fox!" tears still spilled from her purple eyes "Those were my emotions, My feelings, and you manipulated me and hurt me where it's most venerable!"
Nick felt her attack stop. He opened his eyes to see that she was driving the cruiser, still sniffling from a broken heart. Nick was about to speak, but he didn't want to pry her emotions. He just looked away in guilt. Ever since he realised he loved her, Nick never wanted Judy, his Judy, to cry. Now she was honest to god sad, and it was all his fault.
"What have I done?" the guilt ridden fox thought.
Then suddenly, Nick wasn't in the cruiser anymore, he was on the same cold floor of the Junior Ranger Scouts. A single light from above shone on him while the rest of the world hid in darkness. "You ruined your relationship with Judy, that's what, you idiotic scoundrel." Nick was too used to that voice; the voice of that woodchuck bully. Ever since that damned day when he was muzzled, whenever he felt like he was doing something wrong, that very same woodchuck would be there to taunt him, to make him sink even more into his sea of darkness. The woodchuck that haunted his psyche.
A shadow of said woodchuck appeared, a wide smile that showed all of his teeth showed that he was enjoying this. "Your wrong!" Nick growled, the skin around his muzzle was pulled back; showing his sharp teeth "Carrots will forgive me, s-she always does".
But as hard as he tried, Nick couldn't stop the feeling on uncertainty slip into his words.
The woodchuck just chuckled. "You don't deserve happiness, you know that."
"We're here" Nick was back in the police cruiser, like he never left. Nick sighed, of course he imagined it, it always was just nothing more but his imagination. Nick faced towards the sniffling bunny, she was staring at him. "You an I have a lot to talk about when this is over."
As the duo exited the cruiser, Nick got a better look at where they were: a mostly forest-like area with an ancient, abandoned warehouse in it. They were at The Edge of Zootopia. 'The Edge of Zootopia' was a name given to an isolated area of Zootopia, natural forest-like area that was untouched by modern technology. Multiple mammals, usually those not used to the city, would like to take a walk around The Edge of Zootopia so they could get away from it all, so they could feel more in nature.
Its popularity was kinda surprising since it was small compared to other areas of Zootopia, not to mention that it sat at the boundary of Zootopia (hence the 'edge' in the name).
"Huh" Nick spoke with a hint of amazement "I've known about this- ahem- 'place'" he used are quotes to describe the word 'place' "since I was a kit, but I was never interested beforehand." he began rubbing the back of his head with his paw, eyes closed, in embarrassment "Now I kinda regret that lack of interest."
When Nick opened his eyes, he saw Judy looking at him with a lack of any emotion. She turned and walked towards the warehouse.
"Alright, that's it." Nick thought "It's time that I fixed my mistake." He grabbed Judy by the arm. As she turned to look at him, Nick grabbed her carrot pen and let go of her. Judy opened her mouth, about to yell at him most likely, but he carefully placed a pawpad over her mouth in a 'shush' manner.
He smiled and pressed the 'record' button on her carrot pen "I, Nicholas Wilde, am a dumb fox who makes stupid mistakes."
He removed the pawpad from Judy's mouth, a frown was on her face, but it looked like it was a fake one that she was trying- and failing- to keep.
"Nick, if you think that's gonna work then your wro-"
'I, Nicholas Wilde, am a dumb fox who makes stupid mistakes.' he played the recording, a little laugh escaped her lips, she tried to cover that.
"Nick, that's not-"
'I, Nicholas Wilde, am a dumb fox who makes stupid mistakes.'
Nick waved the carrot pen in his paw, a smug-like grin on his face. "I can do this all day, Carrots." Judy broke her façade and laughed "I know you can't stay mad at me." He drew out his arms, both in the air and pointing outwards, basically saying 'hug?'.
Judy didn't resist and hugged him. It felt nice, for both of them. Like everything else was non-existent, just the two of them in their own little universe; together in an eternal embrace.
"Oh, one more thing!" Nick said. His bunny looked up at him with confused eyes; he already made it up to her, what else did he need to do? Nick pulled out his pawpsicle pen and pressed on the 'erase' button. Judy's eyes widened, he didn't have to do that. Nick pressed on the 'play' button; nothing happened. "There" he said "everything's fixed". However, Judy didn't look as happy as he expected.
"You didn't have to do that." she said "I already forgave you."
Nick smirked "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."
Judy punched Nick in the arm- making him say an 'Ow' in response-, her face was an amalgam of a smile and annoyance. "Just because it's your catchphrase doesn't mean you can use it for everything. And that's not what I call a 'hustle', that's what I call unfair.".
Nick looked at Judy, confused "'Unfair'?, how is that unfair?"
"I have a recording of you saying something bad about yourself, but you don't have a recording of me saying something bad about myself. So it's unfair, for you."
"What about when you said 'I really am just a dumb bunny'?"
"That recording is on my pen. Besides, I erased it."
"Yeah, but I still managed to transfer it to my computer."
"..."
"Why are so quiet suddenly, Carrots?"
"How'd you transfer it onto your computer?!"
"It's called a hustle, sweetheart"
"If you keep saying that for everything I'm gonna kick you in the leg!"
"You know you love me."
"Do I know that? I'll tell you later."
Then they just stared at each other in the eyes, deeply. Judy couldn't stop looking deep into those two emerald pools that her partner had for eyes. Her heart warmed up like it drank warm coffee on a cold, snowy day. The want, the need, to just kiss him then and there was almost irresistible. But she had a job to do- they both had a job to do- to protect Zootopia.
"A-anyways, we should start investigating." Judy said as she broke the trance "S-something illegal could be happening in there". She then walked to the abandoned warehouse, "I guess we have more to talk about tonight then just Amy" she thought.
Nick just watched her go. This secret really is getting out of paw. He sighed and followed after her.
"By the way," Judy said, turning around with her carrot pen in hand "you better not have used up too much storage on this. Because if we get any verbal evidence that something bad is related to this warehouse, and I can't capture that evidence because you made a dumb mistake, then your gonna be in big trouble." That almost sounded like a threat. Almost. The waving of her carrot pen, her half-closed eyelids and her smile- all of which she made no effort to hide- showed she was mostly joking.
Nick smirked "It's called a hu- OW!". Nick was hopping on his left foot while he held both paws on his right leg.
"I warned you."
"Ok, I'll stop saying it."
"I don't want you to stop saying it altogether, just not all of the time."
Nick put his right leg down, giving it a quick rub with one of his paws so the pain would go away. He saw that Judy was already entering the warehouse, signalling him to follow her. As Nick came closer he felt a dubious feeling, but he pushed that feeling away and entered. They can take whatever awaits them, right?
An important thing to remember: while you must never underestimate the duo, you must never overestimate them either.
Author's note: I... haven't written in a long while (¬_¬;)
But anyways, now that I wrote some of the 'happy' stuff I can go onto writing some angst *maniacal laughter*
That's if I get off my big, fat, lazy butt though (¬_¬;)